If the Miami Dolphins are in a position to draft quarterback Tua Tagovailoa later this month, one former NFL executive feels that previous memories of once bypassing Drew Brees could help make the decision for the Dolphins.
Mark Dominik says it's not likely Miami would have to go up and get Tua Tagovailoa. Dominik said he believes Miami "probably will" draft Tua and that passing on Drew Brees once could be a factor.
— Joe Schad (@schadjoe) April 14, 2020
Mark Dominik spent 16 seasons in the front office of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, including five years as general manager of the team from 2009 to 2013.
When Dominik was the Buccaneers’ director of pro scouting in 2001, he watched as Brees dropped out of the first round of that year’s draft before being selected by the then-San Diego Chargers.
Four years later, Brees signed with the New Orleans Saints as a free agent in 2006.
The Dolphins had been in competition with the Saints for Brees at that time. Yet, questions about whether Brees was fully recovered from a shoulder injury caused them to instead trade for Daunte Culpepper.
Just one season later, the Dolphins moved on from Culpepper and watched as Brees fashioned a Hall of Fame resume which included leading the Saints to a Super Bowl victory in February 2010.
Coincidentally, the Dolphins’ head coach at the time of the Brees’ decision was Nick Saban, who coached Tagovailoa during his time at the University of Alabama.
Tagovailoa was once the top quarterback prospect in the 2020 draft. However, injuries last season and past issues with staying healthy resulted in Louisiana State University quarterback Joe Barrow taking that spot.
Despite being supplanted as the top choice, Tagovailoa will still be selected early in the draft that gets underway on April 23.
Of course, there’s no guarantee that Tagovailoa will be available if the Dolphins wait until they make the fifth overall selection in the draft. Another team ahead of them could choose the quarterback or another team below the Dolphins could trade up to select him.
If Tagovailoa is unavailable, there are still two other top quarterback prospects that the Dolphins have looked at: Justin Herbert from the University of Oregon and Jordan Love from Utah State University.
